DIRECTOR, OPERATIONAL INNOVATION & ENABLEMENT

Mission

Build the people, systems, and deployment frameworks required to turn strategy and innovation into scalable organizational capability.

Job Summary

Reporting to the Vice President of Operations, the Director, Operational Innovation & Enablement serves as the bridge between organizational strategy and field execution across a complex, multi-site hospitality portfolio.

This role serves as the primary enablement and deployment partner to field leadership, translating strategic priorities into scalable execution models that can be successfully adopted across diverse campuses, operating formats, and varying levels of organizational maturity.

This role is responsible for building the organizational capabilities, deployment frameworks, and leadership systems that enable teams to successfully adopt, sustain, and scale new programs, technologies, and operating models.

Unlike traditional operational support roles focused on reporting, governance, or performance management, this position focuses on building organizational capability — creating the systems and leadership behaviors that allow change to succeed long after implementation.

Success in this role is measured by the organization's ability to consistently execute, sustain, and scale strategic initiatives across diverse locations, operating models, and levels of organizational complexity.

The role’s long-term impact is reflected in the organization’s ability to adopt, execute, sustain, and scale change through established systems, leadership capability, and operational ownership.

Key Responsibilities:

Organizational Enablement & Leadership Capability:

• Develop scalable operating frameworks, playbooks, standards, and tools that drive consistency across the portfolio.
• Build leadership capability through scalable learning frameworks, field resources, and development programs focused on execution, problem-solving, decision-making, and change leadership.
• Strengthen local change leadership by equipping district and site leaders to independently lead and sustain improvement initiatives.
• Lead change management eƯorts, including communication, stakeholder engagement, readiness planning, and adoption strategies.
• Establish accountability and sustainment mechanisms that reinforce long-term execution, organizational ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Translate strategic priorities into practical implementation plans that can be successfully executed by field teams.
• Assess operational challenges and identify opportunities to improve eƯectiveness, consistency, and organizational capability.

Innovation Deployment & Scaling: 

• Partner with cross-functional teams to identify, evaluate, and advance operational, service, and technology innovations.
• Design pilot and testing frameworks to evaluate new ideas and measure eƯectiveness.
• Convert successful pilots into scalable operating models supported by standards, training, and deployment plans.
• Enable adoption across diverse locations, business formats, and leadership teams.
• Create clear pathways that move innovations from concept to pilot, deployment, and long-term sustainment.

Strategic Deployment & Cross-Functional Alignment: 

• Lead operational deployment of enterprise initiatives from planning through adoption and sustainment.
• Align stakeholders across Operations, Culinary, Experience, Finance, and support functions to ensure successful execution.
• Assess organizational readiness and proactively address barriers to implementation.
• Establish metrics and reporting processes that measure adoption, execution quality, and initiative effectiveness.
• Identify, standardize, and scale best practices across the portfolio.
• Serve as a strategic partner to the VP of Operations and senior leadership team, translating organizational priorities into scalable operating solutions that strengthen capability and drive execution.

Target Candidate Profile & Qualifications:

Experience:

• 8+ years of leadership experience in multi-unit hospitality, food service, retail, corporate dining, contract catering, or similarly complex service environments.
• Experience leading initiatives across geographically dispersed, multi-site operations with diverse business models, stakeholder groups, and operating complexities.

Operational Enablement & Change Leadership: 

• Proven success building operating systems, leadership development programs, training functions, or change-management initiatives across dispersed teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change and drive adoption of new programs, technologies, and operating models.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational transformation eƯorts, including change adoption, capability development, operational deployment, and long-term sustainment.

Innovation & Execution: 

• Experience piloting, implementing, and scaling innovative solutions in complex operating environments.
• Strong project and program management skills, including stakeholder engagement, deployment planning, and performance measurement.

Leadership & Influence: 

• Ability to build alignment across functions and influence leaders at all levels of the organization, including senior leadership, through credibility, strategic thinking, and effective change leadership.
• Strong communication skills with experience creating scalable tools, frameworks, and resources that support field execution.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders to influence organizational priorities, align cross-functional stakeholders, and drive enterprise-wide initiatives.

Strategic Thinking & Execution: 

• Demonstrated ability to translate organizational strategy into scalable operating models, deployment frameworks, and leadership capabilities that deliver measurable business outcomes.

Preferred: 

• Experience in leadership development, organizational learning, training, continuous improvement, or operational excellence initiatives.